Alpacas are members of the camelid family and are native to South America (primarily Peru and Chile).
The natives of South America have selectively bred both Alpacas and Llamas over thousands of years to produce animals ideally suited to their environment. Llamas are their beasts of burden and are used to carry loads along the mountain trails. Alpacas, on the other hand, are farmed specifically for their wonderful fine fleece - the "Fibre of the Gods". Cloth made from these animals could only be worn by the aristocracy and was also used as currency and compensation for tribes defeated in battle.
With the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors, the entire civilisation was almost wiped out, as were many of the animals and the breeding knowledge that produced the incredibly fine fleece.
Having rediscovered these wonderful animals, the rest of the world is now realising the potential of Alpaca as a natural fibre that has many advantages over sheep's wool. It is a fine, lightweight, but strong fibre with excellent thermal properties and no lanolin.
Alpacas are ideally suited to small block holders. They don't suffer from footrot or flystrike and don't need docking or crutching. Maintenance is limited to a six-monthly 5-in-1 vaccination and drenching; and annual shearing.
Males are called Machos, females are called Hembras and the baby alpaca is a Cria. Hembras have only a single Cria with a gestation of around 11.5 months. Incredibly, the Hembra waits for a fine day to 'unpack', usually between 10am and 2pm.